The challenge
Doodle 4 Google is an Art and Design competition for 5–16s. Students are asked to re-design the Google logo based on a yearly theme, such as 'My Community', 'My Future' or 'My Britain'.
The selected regional finalists are posted on the website and are put to public vote. One winning student gets their 'Doodle' displayed on the Google UK homepage for one day, plus a trip to California.
In 2007, 2008 and 2009, EdComs was asked to produce curriculum-linked lesson plans for teachers to introduce the topic to their students and encourage them to enter the competition. We also produced marketing materials in 2007 and 2008.
In 2008 and 2009 we also produced bespoke materials when the competition launched in the Republic of Ireland.
Our approach
The competition lends itself naturally to Art and Design, so we focused the lesson resources around this subject. Discussion around questions such as 'What is a doodle?' was included, along with encouraging students to experiment with different art media.
We identified other links to the curriculum in subjects such as Citizenship and Science, depending on the theme. For instance, the 'My Community' theme allowed teachers to explore the concept of 'community' with their students and consider different viewpoints.
The lesson plans were available to download from Doodle 4 Google as PDFs. They were designed in a funky 'crayon' style, as were the marketing materials.
We produced a four-page mailer and a poster which were sent to named subject heads in all primary and secondary schools.
Outcomes
The competition proved extremely popular with students and teachers. In 2008 around 3,000 schools registered for the competition.
The helpline inbox receives enquiries all year round from teachers wanting to find out when the next competition will be launching, and when the lesson resources will be available.